Curator Meredith McGrane: "Childhood is energy. And energy, and energy, and energy. Our kids keep going, when we parents can’t go one step further. Holly Donovan’s image, Five and Six, jumps right into the viewer’s face, square in the middle of the frame, so we can’t miss it — which I loved! Focus on the hop- scotching child is a bit soft, in all the right ways, as it should be to tell the story of perpetual motion in childhood. The choice of capture at numbers five and six is perhaps a nod to the age of the child. And I love the clean image and lack of clutter here. The photographer is telling one clear story and it’s jumping right towards us, smile and all."

Holly Donovan says of her work,"My work is centered around the universal and fleeting qualities of childhood, often inspired by memories of my own. My intention is to reveal a combination of authenticity, spontaneity, and curiosity while revealing the moment. My approach is photojournalistic; storytelling is at the root of my vision. I record my childrens memories while recreating some of my own. Some, purely out of the desire to want to experience them again after the loss of my brother in 2011.

My work is deeply personal, addressing human nature and allowing the viewer to relate to their own memory or existence, be it childhood or something else. I am particularly drawn to faces, curious about the complexities beneath an expression, while attempting to record the spirit."

Holly Donovan resides in Chicago with her husband and four children, working two full time jobs: one as a stay at home mother, and the other behind the camera exploring personal and commissioned work. Most of her adult education has its roots in horticulture- she’s spent most of her professional career working in that field, and photography always remained a creative outlet. It wasn’t until having a family that she began using photography on a more purposeful level in order to document daily life as a mother, and photojournaling her children’s life experiences. Holly’s background and education in photography began in college and has continued recently in the last five years, studying with mentors, experimenting with different techniques and concentrating on learning light, composition and storytelling. Her love of street and documentary photography carries over into her vision and approach to how she photographs both her own children and client work.